Opi(semi Feral) How Do I Get Him Use To People?

[Opi-the-furry-conductor]

Opi is a sweet semi feral kitty I rescued from the street months ago. He's one of the most lovable cuddly cats I've ever had. Opi is a complete house cat he loves collars,cat clothes, he hates going out to far from home. The only thing that can give you a hint that he is semi feral is his fear of strangers. I have no idea why he is so terrified of strangers at all. He was about 2 1/2 to 3 months old when we rescued him from the street and he was only a tad skittish when we first met him. When I first saw him he was screaming bloody murder to be fed lol. So I said aww and fed him he only should a slight sign of being nervous then after he ate he was like oh my gosh I love you human! Through out his kitten life he has met people and showed signs of being scared but eventually got a bit curious. Now though at about 6 1/2 months old he is absolutely terrified of strangers and I have no idea why? When we have a visitors over he'll go hide but then go peek out in the hall way at them then go hide then go peek at them again and he'll keep repeating that process. I've wanted to introduce him to some friends of mine before so I've carefully picked him up and reassured him it was okay held him securely and slowly took him to the guest taking one step at a time to let him not freak out. He did not have any of it lol. He always got so scared meowed really loud and started shivering in my arms. I felt so bad I had to let him go. He did let me introduce him to a good friend of me and my hubby's he loved cats and he seemed to take a liking to Opi so I was determined for opi to at least get him close and calm enough to pet him. It took about 5 times and for everyone to be dead silent I got opi close enough to him to pet him. Opi enjoyed the petting but after a few minutes he begged to be put down and go hide so I let him. The last time was when me and the hubby tried to introduce him to a couple we know it was rather hilarious. Opi this time I have no idea why was terrified of the idea and he did not want to even come close to the wife especially. I don't know why lol the wife is an absolute sweet heart and very kind. Her husband loves cats to he's always finding boxes and putting them outside for the cats in the street to play and sleep in. So when I went and got Opi he freaked and this time instead of jumping out of my arms he hid in my Hijab(head scarf I'm a Muslim for those of you who don't know.). I was laughing so hard while this big orange furball was hiding in my hijab lol. I was laughing so hard and he was hiding real good in there so I couldn't get him out lol. Which is surprising cause opi is so big lol. I had to get my laughing husband to help me before Opi ran off with my hijab lol. So once we got him out he ran for the hills to bedroom. I felt bad cause he was so scared so since then I've never introduced him to another person. I have no idea why he is so terrified of strangers. I mean I love that he only wants to be our friends but I worry bout him. What if he gets lost and doesn't trust anyone to help him find home or something like that in general. Does anybody have any idea why Opi is so horrified of people? Is there anyway I can change that?

 

[maggiedemi]

I have two former feral cats and they are exactly the same way. They are terrified of any human that doesn't live in the house. I don't think that will ever change, it has been 3 years. I think maybe their feral mama cat taught them to fear humans. But they can still live a happy life.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I'm just thinking out loud here, but because he initially wasn't so scared, was he ever outside during a time when you couldn't see him, and possibly a stranger scared the daylights out of him? Or, he's just becoming firmer and firmer in the mindset that you are his humans and that's that.
Can you put a collar on him with a tag with your information--that will help a little bit. A possibility is that over time of people coming to visit you, Opie might eventually calm down and accept that strangers are a fact of life, but every cat is different and your baby may never come to the conclusion that other people are ok. That might not be a such bad thing since the other side of the coin is that there are bad people and you wouldn't want your cat to be too friendly either.

 

[Opi-the-furry-conductor]

Hi! I'm just thinking out loud here, but because he initially wasn't so scared, was he ever outside during a time when you couldn't see him, and possibly a stranger scared the daylights out of him? Or, he's just becoming firmer and firmer in the mindset that you are his humans and that's that.
Can you put a collar on him with a tag with your information--that will help a little bit. A possibility is that over time of people coming to visit you, Opie might eventually calm down and accept that strangers are a fact of life, but every cat is different and your baby may never come to the conclusion that other people are ok. That might not be a such bad thing since the other side of the coin is that there are bad people and you wouldn't want your cat to be too friendly either.

He has been outside and been around people before but as far as I know of no human has scared the daylights out of him. Honestly I doubt they would people are always so sweet to cats here. If anything it would of been a minature human lol a little kids they tend to scare little animals while playing but not to be evil just to play. It's a possibility but I doubt that because he was not so skiddish after being in contact with humans he was the same. It just got worse over age not because of humans scaring him.He's always been skiddish of strangers it just got worse since he got older. I do keep a collar on him with contact information and everyone in the aparpment building knows if the see an orange tabby mau screaming his head off thats most likely my opi lol. He stays inside these days when I leave the door open he only goes 3 ft away from the door no more then that so I never have to worry about him running away or bolting out the door to have an adventure I just worry what if some emergency happen and he panicked and got lost he wouldn't let anyone get near him to look at his collar.

 

[Furballsmom]

It sounds as though you're doing all you can for your furry buddy - thank you for being such a caring cat person!!
I do know and totally understand your concern because sometimes things happen. Fortunately there are more and more people who are familiar with how to deal with and care for strays and ferals in emergencies as well as long term. Your opi is so lucky to have you!

 

[trudy1]

Like Maggie said...I have 7 and out of those seven three hide as soon as the knob turns on the front door! Strange car pulls in the drive...gone!
All these were rescued as kittens at different times and litters. None received any abuse that I know of.

One of the rescues we have had for over 4 years and when we used to go on trips the person who came to feed them everyday never saw him!

But all are sweet and loving to us. Just the nature of some. I believe it would be easier for us to change than change any of those 3.

 

[molly92]

Since food helped him bond so much with you, maybe you can use that to help him associate new people with an extra tasty treat. Everytime a person comes over, he gets that special food. You can try to have the visitor give it to him, but if he won't take it directly don't force anything.

I notice with semi feral and shy cats that they seem more at ease when they don't think they're the center of attention. Having strangers come into your space just to look at you can be scary! What if they take me away from Mom? But if they're just hanging out and not paying attention, it's easier to understand that these are Mom's friends, maybe I'll come out and get that yummy treat. Ever heard stories about how cats seem to be drawn to the person in the room who likes cats the least? It's the same principle. Cats usually don't communicate friendly signals by looking directly at each other like we do. They use their eyes more when they are unsure about a situation. If they're relaxed they'll let their eyelids droop and they'll use their ears more to keep track of what's happened rather than turning their head to look. So cats that are less people-savy are more likely to think people are anxious when they make eye contact, or worst case scenario, we're focused on them because we're hunting them!

Of course it's hard for cat people to "ignore" the sweet little kitty, so it doesn't always go smoothly, but if there are people who will be coming over often and they want to build a relationship with him, it's worth a try.

 

[Opi-the-furry-conductor]

Since food helped him bond so much with you, maybe you can use that to help him associate new people with an extra tasty treat. Everytime a person comes over, he gets that special food. You can try to have the visitor give it to him, but if he won't take it directly don't force anything.

I notice with semi feral and shy cats that they seem more at ease when they don't think they're the center of attention. Having strangers come into your space just to look at you can be scary! What if they take me away from Mom? But if they're just hanging out and not paying attention, it's easier to understand that these are Mom's friends, maybe I'll come out and get that yummy treat. Ever heard stories about how cats seem to be drawn to the person in the room who likes cats the least? It's the same principle. Cats usually don't communicate friendly signals by looking directly at each other like we do. They use their eyes more when they are unsure about a situation. If they're relaxed they'll let their eyelids droop and they'll use their ears more to keep track of what's happened rather than turning their head to look. So cats that are less people-savy are more likely to think people are anxious when they make eye contact, or worst case scenario, we're focused on them because we're hunting them!

Of course it's hard for cat people to "ignore" the sweet little kitty, so it doesn't always go smoothly, but if there are people who will be coming over often and they want to build a relationship with him, it's worth a try.

I thought of that to! I'm going to try that and see how it goes. Thank you.